MyCarmahttp://www.mycarma.com
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 15:26:45 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.17myEV by MyCarma Indiegogo Campaign a Success!http://www.mycarma.com/myev-mycarma-indiegogo-campaign-success/
http://www.mycarma.com/myev-mycarma-indiegogo-campaign-success/#commentsTue, 22 Jul 2014 19:41:32 +0000http://www.mycarma.com/?p=1510We’re proud to announce that our myEV crowdfunding campaign was a huge success! Over the course of our campaign, we were able to raise $28,427 from 205 backers; 114% of our $25k goal. myEV is the world’s first electric vehicle logger for individuals that can track energy consumption and state-of-charge...

]]>We’re proud to announce that our myEV crowdfunding campaign was a huge success! Over the course of our campaign, we were able to raise $28,427 from 205 backers; 114% of our $25k goal.

myEV is the world’s first electric vehicle logger for individuals that can track energy consumption and state-of-charge on nearly all production plug-in vehicles. We’ve been logging these vehicles for a few years for fleets, and now thanks to your backing, we will be finishing adapting that technology to make the world’s best logger & app for EV owners.

Some of the app’s core features include: trip energy consumption, starting & ending state-of-charge, auxiliary load use, and battery health as well as historical data such as EV mileage, average consumption, range vs. ambient temperature, and much more. myEV also introduces a social component where EV owners are able to compare their data against their friends and similar vehicles in their area.

One of myEV’s most anticipated social features is the public charging etiquette window sticker. The window sticker includes a personalized QR code that can be used by others in the myEV community to ask if they can unplug you at a public charging station in a privacy-protected way. They may also give you an ‘electric fist-bump’, and request a connection to share info.

The logger clips in to the electric vehicle’s OBDII port, and passes off data to the driver’s phone through Bluetooth.

While the Indiegogo campaign has reached its finale, it is really just the end of the beginning for us. We’ll be putting in a lot of work over the next few months leading up to our October ship date, but we couldn’t be any more excited to get a myEV device in your hands.

If you are a backer of the project, keep an eye on your inbox as we’ll be sending out frequent updates on our progress. If you missed out on the Indiegogo campaign, you’re still able to join the movement and reserve your spot. The backers will be receiving the first units, but leave your email on that page and we’ll make sure to hold your spot in line for the first batch afterwards.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/myev-mycarma-indiegogo-campaign-success/feed/3Fuel-Efficiency in the Construction Industryhttp://www.mycarma.com/fuel-efficiency-in-the-construction-industry/
http://www.mycarma.com/fuel-efficiency-in-the-construction-industry/#respondFri, 29 Nov 2013 20:58:44 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=1001Many OEMs have created fuel efficient solutions for light duty vehicles. There has been some neglect considering the issues arising from the amount of fuel consumed in the construction industry. We wanted to highlight some of fuel efficiency initiatives taking place in the construction industry. Volvo’s fuel efficiency tactics have...

]]>Many OEMs have created fuel efficient solutions for light duty vehicles. There has been some neglect considering the issues arising from the amount of fuel consumed in the construction industry. We wanted to highlight some of fuel efficiency initiatives taking place in the construction industry.

Volvo’s fuel efficiency tactics have shown up in the construction industry. They offer money-saving world-class excavators, articulated haulers, and wheel loaders. The CareTrack system helps manage and maximize vehicle efficiency. It is a tracking device which uses GPRS/GSM mobile network or satellite to detect the location of these machines. The system provides information such as machine utilization reports, fuel economy reports, location reports and service maintenance reports.

Also in recent news, researchers from Purdue College of Engineering have found a way to reduce the fuel consumption by improving the efficiency of the hydraulic steering systems in heavy construction equipment.

With this improvement they were able to see:

14.5% fuel consumption reduction

22.6% machine productivity increase

43.5% fuel efficiency improvement

Heavy equipment hydraulic systems usually have a single or multiple pumps that supply flow to all valve controlled actuators that move either tools or steering mechanisms. Instead of having valves to direct the flow of hydraulic fluid to the actuators, Purdue has removed valves and provided each actuator with a variable displacement pump. After successfully demonstrating this technology for the actuators that move the tools, Purdue has now implemented this technology for the steering system of the vehicle.

The new steering system is designed so that the actuator motion is controlled by adjusting the pump displacement. Not only does the new technology help eliminate excess wasted energy, it also offers stability control via active steering, variable-rate and variable-effort steering, increased machine productivity, improved line holding capability, and the potential for remote as well as full autonomous operation.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/fuel-efficiency-in-the-construction-industry/feed/0Engine technology and fuel efficiencyhttp://www.mycarma.com/engine-technology-and-fuel-efficiency/
http://www.mycarma.com/engine-technology-and-fuel-efficiency/#respondThu, 21 Nov 2013 16:39:55 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=905The ICE has only changed so much. Four-cylinder engines have gone from making 20 horsepower to more than 250—all while being more efficient and cleaner. New engine designs and advanced technologies make this possible. Check out these engine technologies that not only increase power but also increase efficiency: Variable Valve...

]]>The ICE has only changed so much. Four-cylinder engines have gone from making 20 horsepower to more than 250—all while being more efficient and cleaner. New engine designs and advanced technologies make this possible.

Check out these engine technologies that not only increase power but also increase efficiency:

Variable Valve Timing and Lift

Most vehicles use valves to let air and fuel into a cylinder and exhaust fumes out. Air is pushed out of the valve using a port. With variable valve timing, fuel efficiency increases because regulated timing cause create operational efficiency at low RPM. VVT might not necessarily save you money on gas but it can definitely increase the amount of a power your car can have.

Clean Diesel

Everyone associates diesel with loud, smelly and slow. This is a huge misconception from what they are today. Today they are none of those things; they are one of the cleanest types of cars on the road. Diesel technology today provides great fuel economy compared to a typical ICE engine. New diesel catalysts reduce NOx levels and use a particulate trap to contain airborne dust.

Direct Injection

Mass produced ICE engines typically use port injection. Port injection is simply fuel injected directly into air-filled cylinders – air and fuel are mixed in the intake manifold. Direct injection, which is popular with diesels and new to gasoline cars, improves fuel efficiency and increases power.

With direct injection, fuel is injected at any particular times to account for time differences with the individual cylinders. Generally, the injectors will wait until the last possible moment and inject small amounts of fuel. This precision creates better fuel economy for the driver and also a cooling effect on the vehicle which provides the driver with more power.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/engine-technology-and-fuel-efficiency/feed/0Tribute to Toyota: Fuel Efficient Futurehttp://www.mycarma.com/tribute-to-toyota-fuel-efficient-future/
http://www.mycarma.com/tribute-to-toyota-fuel-efficient-future/#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 15:42:35 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=692By 2012, Toyota had made a giant footprint for hybrid vehicles — managing to sell over 4 million hybrid units worldwide. Today, not only has Toyota taken the lead in selling hybrid vehicles but also are taking the initiative to expand the current hybrid collection. By 2015, they plan on...

]]>By 2012, Toyota had made a giant footprint for hybrid vehicles — managing to sell over 4 million hybrid units worldwide. Today, not only has Toyota taken the lead in selling hybrid vehicles but also are taking the initiative to expand the current hybrid collection. By 2015, they plan on releasing 21 new hybrids and as well a fuel-cell vehicle in the next three years.

They continue to build the momentum as global hybrid leaders by increasing their battery density to improve battery performance.

Toyota is also raising awareness of the benefits and challenges of fuel diversity. Toyota vehicles will participate in a National Petroleum Council study that reports on prospective alternative fuels in auto, truck, rail and waterborne transport (2035-2050).

Current fuel diversity challenges include, building competitive vehicles with different powertrains and driver feedback systems. Obtaining infrastructure to resource fuels such as hydrogen and charging station commercialization is also another challenge. Not only is it expensive to commercialize these alternative fuels but we are stuck in a position where not commercializing makes consumers less willing to adopt non-ICE vehicles.

These results hope to project deployment towards; demand of fuel, environment protection, promote competitiveness in alternative fuels (such as hydrogen and electric) and support energy security. The insights from this project will help develop potential policy options and investments in the alternative fuels industry.

Toyota hopes to adopt new fuels and increase economies of scale for vehicles using alternative fuels, similar to hybridization with the Prius. The first fuel cell Toyota Highlander vehicle was $1 million (US) per unit. The 2015 version of the Highlander, is expected to be between $50,000 to $100,000. Hopefully by 2020, the price will be around a Toyota plug-in hybrid.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/tribute-to-toyota-fuel-efficient-future/feed/1Market Growth: Charging Stationshttp://www.mycarma.com/market-growth-charging-stations/
http://www.mycarma.com/market-growth-charging-stations/#respondWed, 09 Oct 2013 20:56:58 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=549Range anxiety is becoming less of an issue when it comes to deciding whether to buy an electric car. Even though the electric vehicle market took a while to start running, the charging station market is taking on rapid growth. Today there are about 64,000 DC electric vehicle charging stations...

]]>Range anxiety is becoming less of an issue when it comes to deciding whether to buy an electric car. Even though the electric vehicle market took a while to start running, the charging station market is taking on rapid growth. Today there are about 64,000 DC electric vehicle charging stations available and operational worldwide.

The growth of the North American EV market received a huge push from various government levels which offered incentives and subsidies. Charging stations also received a lot of funding and subsidies.

In 2012, 120,000 charging stations sold in the US. Market trends show a rapid growth to 1.3 million available stations available worldwide. China and Europe are also leading this rapid growth. Europe is predicted to have 480,000 charging stations by 2020 and China will have around 277,000 units.

Ford, Daimler, GM, BMW, and Nissan form the core of charging infrastructure partnerships.

The relationship between EVs and charging stations is mutually dependent. The more that’s invested in EV infrastructure the more comfortable consumers will be purchasing electric vehicles. The demand for EV’s increases the demand for charging stations.

Currently, charging stations are composed of AC installations which account for 94% of total installations worldwide. DC installations account for almost 5% of global installations. This may seem small but they have a central role and leading market share in Japan and Estonia. Battery swap stations account for less than 1% of total installations.

The Next Big Obstacle

Despite the promising prospects, the length of time it takes to recharge an EV continues to be one of the major setbacks for adoption of electric vehicles. Compared to the time that it takes to fill up a conventional vehicle, the charging time for EVs using a level 1 or level 2 charger is very slow.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/market-growth-charging-stations/feed/0Heavy Duty Vehicles – Increasing Fuel Economyhttp://www.mycarma.com/heavy-duty-trucks-increasing-fuel-economy/
http://www.mycarma.com/heavy-duty-trucks-increasing-fuel-economy/#respondThu, 03 Oct 2013 18:21:37 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=495Light duty vehicles are not the only types of vehicles that are fuel conscious. Heavy duty vehicles are slowly becoming more fuel efficient. The complexity of heavy-duty trucks made it more so difficult to create a standardized cap. Some of these complexities included dynamism’s of heavy-duty engines and fragmentation of...

]]>Light duty vehicles are not the only types of vehicles that are fuel conscious. Heavy duty vehicles are slowly becoming more fuel efficient. The complexity of heavy-duty trucks made it more so difficult to create a standardized cap. Some of these complexities included dynamism’s of heavy-duty engines and fragmentation of the components in the vehicles.

Currently, heavy-duty trucks consumer 2.9 million barrels of petroleum fuels. Heavy-duty trucks are now looking towards becoming fuel efficient. With changing trailer aerodynamics and waste-heat energy recovery, trucks can become a third more fuel efficient by 2025.

In the United States, multiple phases have been put in place to increase fuel efficiency of trucks. Phase 1 was implemented in 2011 – from 2014 to 2018 heavy duty gasoline trucks should increase fuel efficiency by 10% and diesel vehicles by 15%. The plan for these standards includes saving $50 billion in fuel costs and around 530 million barrels of oil over the life of new trucks built between 2014 and 2018. All and all the savings conclude to saving about a month’s worth of oil. Phase 2 includes that improvement in fuel efficiency will be recognized and incentivized by the program. The program will tailor to bring meaningful fuel efficient information to truck buyers.

Similarly in Canada, the Harper government implemented fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks. Canadians and Americans are working together to develop common standards in North America.

The Canadian Truck King Challenge – a challenge where new pickups and heavy-duty trucks are put under real world conditions. This year 16 vehicles will be driving to measure fuel economy. MyCarma will be providing another article on how the trucks performed for the week.

]]>Many many years ago, in the 70’s – NRCan decided to measure fuel economy. There were only two test cycles involved to generate these numbers: 1 highway, 1 city. The drive cycles measured fuel consumption values from derived emissions generated through laboratory tests.

The simulated city cycle test runs for approximately 31 minutes with an average speed of 34 km/h and a top speed of 90 km/h. The test assumes there is stop-and-go-traffic, so there are exactly 23 stops within the span of 31 minutes, around 5 minutes of the test time is spent idling as a representation of traffic lights. This test has one cold engine start and a repeated final phase with 8 minutes of hot engine start.

The simulated highway cycle test run for approximately 13 minutes with no stops. It includes a mixture of rural roads and highways at a speed of 78 km/h to a top speed of 97 km/h. This test cycle only has a hot engine start.

After these cycles have been completed, they are adjusted by 10% for the city cycle and 15% for the highway cycle.

When you drive around a city do you stop exactly 23 times? What is the average speed you drive when you’re on the highway? In the city? These lab tests don’t account for any realistic errors on road such as highway traffic. Or for different city environments– we know driving in Toronto is not the same as driving in Mississauga and is not the same as driving through small towns.

The outdated lab tests also does not account for an idling factor that varies upon different seasons. From our data we recognized that most people will idle more in winter months, and less during the summer. The difference in idling can be up to a 10% difference, winter idling can be around 21-25% and summer idling can be around 16-18%.

Since the data was created in the late 70s, there have been many changes to road regulation including the speed limit. Average city speeds can vary from 40-70 km/h and average highway speeds can vary from 100-120 km/h.

The many obvious advantages of personal fuel economy shows the impact of the average drive cycle you take and your personal driving behaviour. Since the current fuel economy stickers are based off lab results, it is not a realistic way of understanding how much you spend on gas and can save on gas a year depending on the vehicle you drive.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/why-the-generic-sticker-label-can-be-inaccurate/feed/0How much does an EV actually cost?http://www.mycarma.com/how-much-does-an-ev-actually-cost/
http://www.mycarma.com/how-much-does-an-ev-actually-cost/#respondWed, 18 Sep 2013 13:38:47 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=442— An updated version of this article can now be found here. — A lot of people assume going electric is expensive, but it’s really not so bad. There are many costs to consider when purchasing an electric vehicle (or any vehicle for instance). Costs can include the vehicle itself,...

A lot of people assume going electric is expensive, but it’s really not so bad. There are many costs to consider when purchasing an electric vehicle (or any vehicle for instance). Costs can include the vehicle itself, a potential charging station and your hydro/electricity bill. Often consumers believe electrical vehicles are costly, however, governments offer incentives for future EV owners by subsidizing costs. The Ontario government offers an incentive up to $8,500.00 on Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles(PHEVs). The US federal government also offers up to $7500 in tax credits to purchase an electric vehicle.

There are three different types of EV charging; level one, level two and DC fast charging. Level one charging does not require a charging station; it requires a three-prong household outlet. Although available to all electric vehicles, it is a very slow process and may take over an evening of charging for a full charge (approx.. 5 miles/hour). Level two charging requires external equipment. The equipment can range anywhere from a little under 1000 to 3000 dollars (CAN). Level two charging is faster than Level one, adding about 15-30 miles of driving range per hour of charging, depending on the vehicle. DC fast charging can add about 90 km of driving range within half an hour of charging. DC fast charging uses industrially-rated, gas pump-sized stations. Most consumers will either pick level one or two charging because they are less expensive. Only some vehicles offer this.

Charging stations are not as accessible as gas stations in Canada. Most EV owners will purchase level 2 charging stations, charging stations seem like a large expense. However, much like electric vehicles federal and provincial governments over incentives to buy and install these stations in a home. Although, charging stations are not required for electric cars, it is highly recommended for BEVs.

If you were to drive a Chevrolet Volt for 1609 km (1000 miles) a month at current Toronto hydro rates (at regulated plan tiered pricing, <600 kWh), it would lead to 1000 miles / 2.7 miles per kilowatt-hour = 370 Kilowatt-Hours. 370 Kilowatt-Hours * $0.078 Per Kilowatt Hour = $28.86 in Electricity per month for the volt. With current gas prices around 130 cents/litre, and 35.2 L to fill up a vehicle similar to the Chevrolet Volt, it would cost $45.76 for significantly less than 1609 km (1000 miles) of range.

Maybe the initial cost of an electric vehicle and the charger might be a bit more than a conventional vehicle, but the cost of the total life cycle of the electric car will be less compared to the conventional vehicle! Just because the amount you save on gas using an electric car.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/how-much-does-an-ev-actually-cost/feed/0EcoBoost – Who said you can’t be fuel efficient and have a lot of power?http://www.mycarma.com/ecoboost-who-said-you-cant-be-fuel-efficient-and-have-a-lot-of-power/
http://www.mycarma.com/ecoboost-who-said-you-cant-be-fuel-efficient-and-have-a-lot-of-power/#respondMon, 09 Sep 2013 22:42:14 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=420There are three key core technologies that EcoBoost has to offer: Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) Direct Injection Turbocharger Similar to SkyActiv technology, EcoBoost also increases compression ratio by using direct injection. EcoBoost technology allows engines to deliver power and torque consistent with large engine displacement. These engines are...

Similar to SkyActiv technology, EcoBoost also increases compression ratio by using direct injection. EcoBoost technology allows engines to deliver power and torque consistent with large engine displacement. These engines are 20% more fuel efficient and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 15%.

To understand EcoBoost, we need to understand how turbos work. Turbos use exhaust gases to spin small turbines that force extra air into the engine to increase power. They recycle car waste (exhaust gasses) and also consume more fuel when needed to provide the driver more power. This is beneficial for larger cars because there is no need of installing a larger engine. A smaller engine is also lighter and the lighter weight of smaller motors translates to better all-around performance.

EcoBoost was designed for highway driving, but there is little to no advantage in city driving. A Ford EcoBoost vehicle is able to accelerate into fast-moving traffic while providing the driver with more control over a regular model. On a city drive, drivers can find it more difficult to control due to the hard acceleration at each stop light.

]]>http://www.mycarma.com/ecoboost-who-said-you-cant-be-fuel-efficient-and-have-a-lot-of-power/feed/0SkyActiv Technology – Market Hithttp://www.mycarma.com/skyactiv-technology-market-hit/
http://www.mycarma.com/skyactiv-technology-market-hit/#respondTue, 03 Sep 2013 18:00:00 +0000http://blog.mycarma.com/?p=363MyCarma reports have been producing interesting results (in a good way) with Mazda’s SkyActiv technology. We decided to investigate further and look into how SkyActiv actually works. The technology has managed to develop a high compression ratio of 13:1 (in North America) with low octane. Avoid buying premium and save...

MyCarma reports have been producing interesting results (in a good way) with Mazda’s SkyActiv technology. We decided to investigate further and look into how SkyActiv actually works. The technology has managed to develop a high compression ratio of 13:1 (in North America) with low octane. Avoid buying premium and save a lot on fuel!

What makes SkyActiv different from other cars? The engine! Or at least it is a big part…

For many years engineers worked towards raising compression ratio while avoiding knocking. Knocking (premature combustion) is caused by high temperature cooking off the fuel earlier than intended. Increasing your compression ratio raises the fuel temperature to one high enough for unintended combustion to occur. So how do we avoid knocking? We try to keep the intake charge as cool as possible.

It also has a long 600-mm 4-2-1 exhaust system, which removes exhaust out of each cylinder without pressure interference and moves the catalyst further away (this helps reduce emissions by making it difficult to light off quickly).

Direct injection is used from cold start (temperature of cold start) to stimulate easy ignition. It improves compression because it uses fine fuel atomization. The fuel is directly sprayed into the combustion chamber which causes a better cooling effect.

Stable combustion is ensured by injecting a portion of the fuel during the intake stroke and then some more fuel during the compression stroke. Stable combustion allows for a delayed ignition at cold start.

If we compare a Mazda 6 with and without Skyactiv technology, we notice large differences in torque, horsepower, fuel economy and curb weight. The SkyActiv Mazda is lighter and also has about 9% more horsepower, 9% more torque and is about 8% more fuel efficient. Considering the vehicles would be taking in the same amount of fuel and air (notice the displacement is similar), these differences are large enough to provide great fuel savings!